Bail fob bailboads



G. WfR. BAYLEY. RAIL FOR RAILWAYS.

No. 25,942. Patented Nov. 1, 1859.

UNITED STATES rarnnrorsicn.

G. W. R. BAYLEY, OF BRASHEAR, LOUISIANA.

RAIL FOR RAILROADS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,942, dated November 1, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, G. IV. R. BA'YLEY, of Brashear, parish of St. Mary,and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Rail forRailways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference be ing had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1represents a side elevation of two ends of my rail united by means of abracket, fishing-bar, and screw-bolts; showing also the bolts, nuts,nut-fastening, hold-down spike, and wooden sleeper or cross-tie. Fig. 2is a plan view, or a. top View of the same. Fig. 3 is a transversesection of my rail, showing clearly its peculiar form; and also thearrangement of parts at the rails joint. Fig. 4 shows the squareshouldered bolt. Fig. 5 shows the hold-down spike used.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The nature of this invention consists in a peculiar formed reversiblerail, which I propose to denominate the reversible Zrail, whereby Icombine the merits and advantages of the double-headed rail, with those.

of the fiat-footed rail; my rail being flatfooted as respects thebearing surface on the sleeper, or cross-tie, and double-headed asrespects the use of either head, or table, for a rolling surface for thecar wheels. By this form of rail I am enabled to preserve the requisitestrength, rolling surface for the wheels, and bearing surface upon thewooden sleeper, or cross-tie, with a reduced' weight of iron; while atthe same time I double the life of the rail by making it reversible, inthe manner hereinafter further represented and described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willproceed to describe its form and arrangement.

By reference to the transverse section, Fig. 3, A represents myreversible rail, formed with its stem to one side of the vertical centerline of the rail, as respects the head, or the foot of same, when inposition in the track for use, though the stem is in the vertical centerbetween both heads, so that when the rail is laid down upon thecross-ties, or wooden sleepers, the thin edge, or flat-foot B, of therails base, is inside, while the corresponding thin edge, or lip, of therail head is outside; also, the rounded thick lip C, of the rails head,where the crushing effect of the wheels is greatest, and the mostresistance needed, is inside and near to the stem of the rail, thusgiving the required strength with a much reduced weight of iron. As thecorresponding thick lip of the rails base is outside, the rail can bereversed at pleasure.

It is known that there is a downward pressure and an outward thrust uponthe rails of railways during the passage of trains over them; what isneeded then is vertical strength, and increased, artificial bearing, onthe cross-ties or sleepers, outside, without increased weight of rails.My rail perfectly meets the required conditions, for while thefiat-footed thin portion of the rails base B, inside, gives all neededbearing surface inside; while vertical strength with reduced weight ofiron is secured by placing the rail stem near to the inner thick lip C,of the rails head, and by increasing the rails depth with the ironbefore wasted-as is usual in the pear-headed flat-footed rail pattern,under-the rail head; the projecting thin lip on the outer side of therails head affords ample facilities for inserting artificial bearingpieces outside, as shown by the bearing bracket E in the drawings.

In the general arrangement and use of this rail, in order to give itpermanency, I propose to make the rails-joints, of each line of rails,opposite each other, to use two crossties placed about four inchesapart, at each joint, and to place the joints of each line of railsbetween the two cross-ties. The joint bracket E, and fishing-bar F, willeach be 22 inches long, and the bolts which clamp them to the rail endswill be six inches from center to center. Four bolts will be used ateach joint of the rails, passing through the fishing-bar, rail-stem, andbracket; two bolts on each side of the joint.

The slots, or notches, for the hold-down spikes G, will be punched inthe edge of the base of the bracket E, midway between the outer pairs ofbolts, and a separate nut-fastening for each pair of bolts, on each sideof the rails joint, on each of the two joint ties, will be used. Theform of nut-fastening is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, with a beveledrecess for the head of the spike G.

Intermediate between the rail joints, as often as may be deemedexpedient, on every cross-tie if desired, short brackets of the samesection as shown at E, Fig. 3, with either one, or two bolts to each,may be used for the urpose of affording artificial bearing outside ofeach rail- If used upon each cross-tie, the rail stem may be lightenedmaterially, enough to balance their cost, or more even, while a widebearing surface on the wooden sleepers will be obtained. In place ofiron intermediate brackets, pieces of wood may be used instead. Whereiron intermediate brackets are used, whether with one, or with twobolts, the bolt head can rest directly against the rail stem, withoutthe interposition of any fishing bar inside. All the bolts used wouldhave square shoulders, which would extend through the rail stem; for thebolt holes in the fishingbars at the rail joints, and through the railstem intermediate, would allbe square, or rectangular, with beveledcorners if preferred. I would make the allowance for eX- pansion andcontraction in the rails, in the rail bolt holes, instead of thefishing-bar and bracket bolt holes, as is customary. I use woodencross-ties, or sleepers, whose length is double the width of the gage oftrack. This gives to each line of rails, the same bearing upon theroadbed outside, as they have to the middle of the track inside, and byaffording a wider base, prevents the depression, or sinking, of theouter ends of the sleepers, or cross-ties.

My peculiar form of rail renders the use of aninside bracket at therail-joint, unnecessary; a fishing-bar being only required at therail-joint inside, with no additional intermediate inside supportwhatever. If intermediate supports are used, they will only be neededoutside. The thin lips of the rail may be, or not, punched for theholddown spikes, as a guard against the rails creeping; though the jointbracket will answer the same purpose.

To convey a correct idea of the shape of section of my Z-rail, I willstate, that it is, substantially, such as would result were we to dividethrough its vertical center, a fiatfooted rail, and then reunite thehalves after inverting one of them; thus bringing half of the headopposite the half of the foot, and vice versa; my rail being rolled inone piece however, but having a pattern of such form.

The English double-headed rail necessitates very heavy and expensivejoint and intermediate supports. The American flatfooted rail is notreversible. My Z-rail can be made so light as 55 lbs. per yard whileretaining a height of inches; thus having very great vertical strengthwith very light weight. Although reversible, my rails base, or bearingupon each cross-tie, or sleeper, can be widened outside,-where theweight and thrust are mostly felt,-.to six, seven, or even eight inches,including the rails foot; and such artificial bearings will need nobolts to hold them in position, the projecting thin lip above, with ahold down spike through their base, will suflice. My rail therefore hasthese great advantages, VlZ, reversibility, very light weight, greatvertical strength, and facilities for affording artificially, a verybroad base to resist the downward and outward thrust of passing trains.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The reversible Z-rail, for railways; that is to say, I claim the railwith its stem placed inside of the vertical center of its head, outsideof the vertical center of its base, with the inner and outer portions ofits head and of its base of difierent thickness and form, with its headand its base similar in transverse section as to outline though reversedas to relative position and connection to the rail stem, the stem beingnearest to the inside thick lip of the rail-head, and to the outsidethick lip of the rail-base, while the thin lip of the rail-base isinside, and the thin lip of the rail-head is outside,substantially asherein described and specified.

G. W. R. BAYLEY.

WVitnesses:

WM. H. LEWIS, A. S. LAWES.

